language is funny
Oct. 24th, 2024 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycrawfordI was having blood drawn today and was asked "Did you eat or drink anything today?" and it occurred to me as it always does that the official word for not having drunk or eaten yet in Dutch, the one they check off on the form, is so incredibly confusing. It's "nuchter" which ALSO means "I am not drunk, I have not consumed alcohol".
So full props to the nurse for asking me that sensible question instead of "Bent u nuchter?" which I've heard before.
But now it occurs to me that I don't know an English translation for 'nuchter' either. 'Sober' yes, but that doesn't cover the have you eaten/drunk part. (or does it? in that case, English is just as confusing...)
So full props to the nurse for asking me that sensible question instead of "Bent u nuchter?" which I've heard before.
But now it occurs to me that I don't know an English translation for 'nuchter' either. 'Sober' yes, but that doesn't cover the have you eaten/drunk part. (or does it? in that case, English is just as confusing...)
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Date: 2024-10-27 06:13 pm (UTC)Hmmm can't think of a good English word for it either tho, not that conveys the same double meaning...
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Date: 2024-10-28 11:05 am (UTC)I don't think English has such a word, and that's a shame! Not that I'll miss it as much as I miss the lack of a verb for being silent, alas.